The comedian is on tour.
Credit: Matthias Clamer
Funnyman W. Kamau Bell may be biased, but that doesn’t stop him from taking on the day’s most controversial stories on his hit TV show “Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell.”
Yet, timing will affect when he strikes.
“I wanted to talk about George Zimmerman ever since the show started but the news cycle wasn’t on my side,” Bell says. “So I was waiting for the opportunity and then when I found it, I felt we leapt on it and really jumped on it with two feet.”
The opportunity came when jury selection began. Bell strongly suggested a panel consisting of Chuck D, the overweight version of Al Sharpton, the ghost of Malcolm X and “angry Bill Cosby.”
Yep, that should do the trick.
Bell is the San Francisco stand up who was discovered by Chris Rock and given his own TV show last year. “Totally Biased” is drawing lots of positive attention for Bell’s sharp witted and racially aware takes on current events.
The New York Times called Bell “the most promising new talent in political comedy in many years.” Starting in September, the series moves from once a week on FX to four times a week on the new FXX channel.
“The thing that we’ve run into … is that we’ve had too much material for each episode, so we’ve had to make some hard cuts,” Bell says. “So with four days you get to be in that area where ‘The Daily Show’ and [‘The Colbert Report’] are in.”
Bell and the writers of “Totally Biased” are touring most major markets with a live show this summer.
“For me, I love standing in front of a screen yelling about the events of the day but I also love yelling into a microphone about the events of the day without a screen behind me,” Bell says.
The Totally Biased Stand Up Tour with W. Kamau Bell
Thursday, July 11, 9 p.m.
Paradise Rock Club
967 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
$33, 617-562-8800
crossroadspresents.com/paradise-rock-club
Friday, July 12, 8 p.m.
Prince Music Theater
1412 Chestnut St., Philadelphia
$22.50, 215-972-1000
www.princemusictheater.org
